Spherical shell fluid separator



March ll, 1952 H. MCCURDY 2,588,863

SPHERICAL SHELL FLUID SEPARATOR Filed April 4, 1950 Snventor,

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Patented Mar. 11, 1952 ass -s s UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE SPHERICAL SHELL FLUID SEPARATOR Howard McCurdy, Walnut Park, Calif.

Application April 4, 1950, Serial No. 153,945

This invention is a separator for the effective removal of sand, silt and other fine materials from well or other Water, but is not to be understoodas limited to treatment of that fluid only.

The instant invention is an "adaptation of separators shown in my Patents Nos. 2,229,860, 2,425,710 and 2,300,129 and involves certain changes found to be desirable when large vol umes of fluid are to be cleaned while continuously flowing throughthe separating apparatus. For instance, running three thousand (3000) gallons at fifty (50) pounds or upward of pressure per square inch per minute.

To perform elficiently at the stated or higher figures, per minute, it is found that a tank-like container of such large diameter is needed that it is not practical to stamp a domed head because of the great cost of required tools. Therefore a purpose of this invention is to provide a tank of such body shape or form that a large pre-formed top or bottom element per se is eliminated and the tank is built of sections not, relatively, expensive.

Particularly, the invention here is the provision of a tank which is substantially a spherical shell having no specially made dome or head element, or like bottom element.

Further, a purpose of the invention is to provide a spherical shell in which there is provided a co-center, inner, vertical axis cylinder whose top rim edge forms with the adjacent arch of the shell an internal angle highly favorable as a factor in making an additional centrifugal throw-off of suspended particles in the flowing liquid, water for example.

The present discovery resides in certain advancements in this art as set forth in the ensuing text and has, with the above, additional objects and advantages as hereinafter developed, and whose constructions, combinations and details of means and manner of operation will be made manifest in the following description of the herewith illustrative embodiment; it beingunderstood that modifications, variations, adaptations and equivalents may be resorted to within the scope, spirit and principles of the invention as it is claimed in conclusion hereof.

Figure 1 is a vertical, axial partial section and elevation of the separator. Figure 2 is a detail, transverse section of a portion of the separator looking down on the inlet tube thereof.

The instant embodiment includes a suitably structurally fabricated shell 2 which, for securing tensional strength and low cost of structure, considering its dimensions, is a sphere in 1 Claim. (01. 210-,61)

2 I body form. This shell .form is very practical in cases where large flow capacity, per minute, is required because its shape tends to direct water-suspended particles, in a separation chamber 20, downward toward the top rim edge of an inner cylinder 3 which is suitably spaced inwardly from the adjacent portion of the shell to form a vertical settlement passageway 2p all around the equatorial zone of the shell and about the cylinder 3, which latter is open at the top and the bottom.

The shell has a top fluid discharge nipple 4 and a bottom sediment outlet 5. r

A horizontal inlet tube 6 extends tangentially from one side of the shell 2 and said cylinder 3, Fig. 2, and springing from a line just below the lower edge of the mouth of the tube and inside of the cylinder there is a rigid helical baffle or ramp 1 about the vertical axis of the cylinder and which axis is on the center of the shell. The top surface of the ramp for its full length inclines or pitches outwardly and downwardly towards its outer edge or perimeter to accelerate gravitational fiow of such particles, in the incoming, orbitally swirling liquid, as settle on the ramp. The inner, high edge of the ramp is fitted and fixed to a central, concentric hollow column 8 which terminates well below the arched top portion of the shell and also well above the saucer-like bottom portion of the shell and is supported on a set of radial, vertical plane webs 9 which are fixed at their outer ends to the shell.

These webs have, also, a baflie function to reduce swirl of liquid contained in the accumulation compartment 2a below the ramp.

Liquid flowing rapidly from the inlet tube 6 onto the ramp will at once begin to rotate in a helical path or orbit up the ramp, this being here shown as of at least one full helical turn with the high point X of the ramp at about the rim of the column 8. w

The column has an arched hood 8h preferably vented by holes 8a for air escape; the column being open at its bottom to the said compartment 2a.

As here shown the ramp is spaced inwardly from the cylinder 3 to provide an orifice l2 all around its bottom edge for ready settlement of sediment creeping down the sloped ramp face. The ramp has a skirt flange If and the lower edge of the cylinder 3 is shown as a helix complementary to the near edge of the ramp.

The inner end of the tube 6 terminates squarely with its plane end sealed in a vertical.

plane plate In which stands from the lower or entry end of the ramp 1 to its verticall upper or ridge end, Fig. 1, and the plate seals on said ramp ends. The plate also seals along its vertical or end edges with the inner column and with the said cylinder. The cylinder 3 is fastened in any suitable manner as at fasteners l3 to the webs 9, or otherwise as desired.

It will be seen that not only is a, spherical shell far more economical instructures of this class of separators and where large capacity is needed-settlement time and volume being the determining factors-but also the acute internal angle A, Fig. 1, between the arch of the shell and the top rim of the cylinder 3 functions as an effector which diverts the adjacent whirlin particles in the water, at the zone where the shell arches acutely over the adjacent rim of the shell, downwardly toward the intermediate passageway 2p leading down from the rim of the cylinder to the lower edge of the cylinder for settlement in the compartment 2a.

What is claimed is:

A means for .centrifugally separating entrained particles from a travelling fluid comprising a shell, a vertical cylinder having open top'and bottom ends, a concentric column fixed within the cylinder, apitched helical ramp fixed between thecylinder and the column and havin basal parts supported on the shell and whose perimeter is spaced from the cylinder to provide a sediment outlet at the surface of the cylinder, said shell being spherical and centered on the axis of and wholly enclosing the cylinder and being closely spaced to and forming an acute angle outlet at the top rim of the cylinder to provide a down passageway around the cylinder, means fixing the ramp to the cylinder, and a fluid inlet tube mounted in said shell and said cylinder in a position to discharge fluid tangentially onto the lower end of the said ramp; the space above the upper end of the cylinder constituting a separation chamber and the space below the ramp constituting an accumulation compartment and the lower end of the cylinder being spaced all around from the shell.

HOWARD McCURDY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

V UNITED STATES PATENTS Kennison et al. Man-22, 1949 

